TNN: Regular users of the Mysore Road Flyover have been using a rather circuitous route through Chamrajpet in the belief that work on the partially-closed flyover is going on at a frenetic pace. But, here’s the truth: A BANGALORE MIRROR reality check shows that other than the flyover being dug up in four places, nothing has been done.
“This flyover is the lifeline of western Bangalore, but the way they are doing the work indicates that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is not serious about the city’s infrastructure. After having closed down the flyover partially for 12 days, all they’ve done is just dig up the road,” said an indignant Dr Vinod Kumar, a resident of Vijaynagar who would use this flyover every day.
Looks like once again BBMP gets full marks for callousness when it comes to civil works in a city already overburdened with infrastructure issues. Built in 1997, the flyover connects Silver Jubilee Park Road to Mysore Road via Sirsi Circle. The repairs were needed because during rains, commuters below the 2.8-km stretch are drenched with the rainwater seeping through the joints. The work is expected to cost Rs 4.5 crore.
OFFICIAL VERSION VS REALITY BBMP engineer on duty, P S Thakur, said: “We are repairing expansion joints and it will take another three months.”
But that’s not what it seems like. While partially closing the flyover on March 30, BBMP announced that it would need three months to complete the work. They decided to first close the link between Town Hall junction and Mysore Road and complete the work in 15 days. After that, they planned to close another link partially and complete that work in the next 15 days. This way, they wanted to complete the entire stretch in three months.
“But of the first 15 days, more than 10 days are over and BBMP has not made much headway due to technical issues. They are trying to find a solution and sort out issues after digging the road when all this should have been done before the work started,” a regular user of the flyover said.
LEARN FROM BRO BBMP should learn a lesson or two from Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Indian Army, Venkatesh Murthy, a flower trader at K R Market suggested.
“BRO personnel work like machines and lay roads in border areas in no time to facilitate military movement. They clear landslides in hours. They work with dedication and a clear plan. BBMP and other urban bodies which are facing infrastructure problems need to replicate BRO in cities,” Murthy said.
Explaining the delay, engineer-inchief B T Ramesh said, “The problem occurred while removing the expansion joints. To lay the new joints, we need to chip them off at the edges which may damage the entire flyover. A group of engineers from Sanfield, Sundaram Consultants and Civil Aid will be meeting along with BBMP engineers to decide the next course of action. The work has been stopped for the past two days and we may decide to go ahead with the finger-type expansion in place of modular joints.”
So, why did they not forsee this problem before closing the flyover? Well, that’s how BBMP works.
“This flyover is the lifeline of western Bangalore, but the way they are doing the work indicates that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is not serious about the city’s infrastructure. After having closed down the flyover partially for 12 days, all they’ve done is just dig up the road,” said an indignant Dr Vinod Kumar, a resident of Vijaynagar who would use this flyover every day.
Looks like once again BBMP gets full marks for callousness when it comes to civil works in a city already overburdened with infrastructure issues. Built in 1997, the flyover connects Silver Jubilee Park Road to Mysore Road via Sirsi Circle. The repairs were needed because during rains, commuters below the 2.8-km stretch are drenched with the rainwater seeping through the joints. The work is expected to cost Rs 4.5 crore.
OFFICIAL VERSION VS REALITY BBMP engineer on duty, P S Thakur, said: “We are repairing expansion joints and it will take another three months.”
But that’s not what it seems like. While partially closing the flyover on March 30, BBMP announced that it would need three months to complete the work. They decided to first close the link between Town Hall junction and Mysore Road and complete the work in 15 days. After that, they planned to close another link partially and complete that work in the next 15 days. This way, they wanted to complete the entire stretch in three months.
“But of the first 15 days, more than 10 days are over and BBMP has not made much headway due to technical issues. They are trying to find a solution and sort out issues after digging the road when all this should have been done before the work started,” a regular user of the flyover said.
LEARN FROM BRO BBMP should learn a lesson or two from Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Indian Army, Venkatesh Murthy, a flower trader at K R Market suggested.
“BRO personnel work like machines and lay roads in border areas in no time to facilitate military movement. They clear landslides in hours. They work with dedication and a clear plan. BBMP and other urban bodies which are facing infrastructure problems need to replicate BRO in cities,” Murthy said.
Explaining the delay, engineer-inchief B T Ramesh said, “The problem occurred while removing the expansion joints. To lay the new joints, we need to chip them off at the edges which may damage the entire flyover. A group of engineers from Sanfield, Sundaram Consultants and Civil Aid will be meeting along with BBMP engineers to decide the next course of action. The work has been stopped for the past two days and we may decide to go ahead with the finger-type expansion in place of modular joints.”
So, why did they not forsee this problem before closing the flyover? Well, that’s how BBMP works.
When it comes to laying roads, BBMP should learn a lesson or two from Border Roads Organisation, says a flower vendor from K R Market
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